Why Boxing Fitness Is Great For Women
At first, boxing might not look like an ideal option for women who want to lose weight and get in top shape. This is normal as we are talking about a sport that looks brutal on TV. But at the same time, modern boxing classes are safe and very popular for people who just want to improve their fitness. Just about every gym has amateur classes where you can train boxing for fitness.
This is the reason why boxing fitness is on the rise among women all across the world. Yes, boxing is still dominated by men, but we can also see this trend changing. Women are more than present in modern boxing, and you should be a part of it too.
In this article, we will explore the benefits of boxing fitness for women, and why you should join the classes.
First thing first: you won’t be the only woman in the gym
Most women hesitate to join boxing classes because of these two things:
- It looks brutal on TV
- It is a sport dominated by men
And guess what, that’s true. Still, you won’t get into boxing to fight in pro matches, and second, there are also a lot of women in classes. In fact, women’s boxing is so big in some places that you can even find classes where you have a group of women training together.
In modern times, there are no gender differences in boxing. It doesn’t matter if we are talking about MMA, Boxing, or Muay Thai, the benefits are the same for all, and that is the only thing that matters. Yes, you will train alongside a lot of men, but again, there will be more than a few ladies as well.
Even the structure of classes is the same for both genders, and you do the same exercises. Whether you train with men or women, remember that all students are in the gym for the same reason. There are no differences as we are one big family that shares the same passion.
Boxing is a good workout for hormones
Boxing training will have a huge impact on your hormone levels, and help you keep them in balance. From monthly cycles to pregnancy, women’s hormones go through a lot of changes and the imbalance may have a huge impact on your life. It can lead to depression, weight gain, and anxiety, but boxing might be a good way to prevent all of this.
The first to note is that not all workouts are good for hormones like long-distance running, or lifting weights. These workouts are not bad, but you should not go on a 2h run if you have issues with your hormones because this increases the cortisol levels. You need a workout that is a mix of strength and cardio training like boxing that won’t put your body through huge stresses. (Not medical advice).
Every class, you will do a lot of rounds on the heavy bag, push-ups, ab workouts, and various other high-intensity exercises. This will speed up your metabolism and balance hormones. Of course, boxing on its own is not enough to keep you healthy. You need to work on reducing stress levels outside the gym, get enough sleep and rest and eat well.
Boxing fitness burns fat
Boxing classes are cardio intense and there is no fooling around in training. In fact, the classes are among the hardest in the world of martial arts, so expect to work pretty hard. Of course, you won’t push your body over the limits all the time since this increases the risk of injury.
Boxing training is a mix of aerobic and anaerobic workouts that will improve your cardio and strength, and burn fat. To be more precise, the studies indicate that boxing is 70% aerobic and 30% anaerobic, which is a good balance. Or in other words, it combines different types of workouts into one.
One study has shown that you can burn from 500 all the way up to 800 calories per boxing class which is a lot. Still, take these numbers with reserve as this depends on many factors like your weight or how hard you work in classes. But dedicated students who mix hard work with a proper diet can expect to get in top shape in a record-breaking time.
Boxing is good for self-defense
Boxing is one of the oldest and most effective martial arts. Knowing how to box plays a big role in any type of self-defense situation, and will keep you safe. Although boxers use “just” their hands to fight, there is a reason why boxing is also called “the sweet science”. It will teach you all about real fighting and how to defend against the attacker.
Yes, the focus of your training is on fitness and losing weight. Still, you will learn how to stand in a proper stance, move around, and strike with punches. These skills play a big role in fighting and that separate skilled fighters from average people. You will learn how to rotate your body, generate a lot of power and land a proper punch that can do a lot of damage.
Once the fight breaks out, boxing teaches you how to stay calm and execute the moves you drilled in the gym. And guess what, this will have a surprising effect as most other women don’t know how to fight. They don’t expect you to know how to dodge or throw punches the right way.
And the same stands for men who would not expect that a woman could break their nose with a proper jab-cross combo.
Boxing builds muscles and functional strength
Don’t worry, you won’t have those big bulky muscles and look like a terminator. Boxing focuses more on the aerobic aspect and repetition, and you won’t do a lot of weight lifting. This means that you will develop muscles that are not big, but last longer and fatigue slower. And you will look lean, ripped, and healthy, which is the reason why most women get into boxing.
Boxing is a full-body workout that will activate and improve all the muscles in your body. This is much better than lifting weights where you are isolating the muscles you want to improve. Or in other words, you focus too much on improving big muscles while leaving the small ones behind. And this is what makes boxing fitness so good.
Although you won’t look huge, you will become a functional athlete and look lean. This also improves the quality of your life as it makes you capable of dealing with different physical challenges.
Boxing is a confidence booster
Boxing is not just about learning how to fight or get in physical shape. It will also improve your mental health, lower stress levels, and help live a happy life. The lessons you learn in the gym will have a huge impact on your life outside of it.
This is mainly because boxing is cardio intense and the classes are very hard. You won’t learn or achieve anything without a lot of effort and pushing your mind and body over the limits. Although this doesn’t sound nice and fun, remember that hard work always pays off and the benefits of this type of training are huge.
First of all, boxing training triggers various “happy” chemicals like dopamine and serotonin in our minds. This will not just make you feel good while training but will keep you in this mood for the entire day or two. Instead of laying on the couch and overthinking the problems, pack your bag and hit the gym. Punching the hell out of your problems is always a better and healthier option that will improve your life in the long run.
Just a couple of months of consistent training is often enough to feel how boxing improves your mental health. It will make your relationships stronger, help deal with problems, and become more productive at work.
It provides a lot of fun
The best thing about boxing fitness is the fun and joy you will feel each time you step on the mats. Don’t get us wrong, training in the fitness gym is fine, and the benefits are very much the same. But nothing compares with hitting the heavy bag, and trading punches with the partners in sparring.
Once you get better at it, you may start doing various live drills where you can apply techniques that you learned against the partner. And this is where the fun begins. These live drills are very safe as the focus is on keeping it all light and easy while wearing protective gear. The risk of injuries is really low if both sides are careful.
But at the same time, your mind will forget, for a brief moment, that you are in a safe environment, trading strikes against a friend. This is the moment that will give you that rush of adrenaline and dopamine that will keep you awake at night.
